Pokemon: New Generations
by inrei
Summary: What was once a normal life for a high school student has come to an abrupt end. After the sudden appearance of actual Pokemon, young Alan must decide on where to take his life after a fateful encounter with an injured Latias. (Rated Mature for language, violence, and sexual themes)
1. Chapter 1 End of the Old Era

**Chapter One: End of the Old Era**

All I could do was let out a small sigh the moment time felt like it slowed down to an eternity. Instead of paying attention to the boring subject in front of me, I decided to drift my eyes to the left and gaze out the large windows; fortunately from the positioning of the room, I didn't have a view of the beach, but I still at least had an okay view. As I stared out at my town and clear blue sky, I became momentarily thankful of having the back corner since it allowed my inattentiveness to be over looked. It wasn't that impressive of a sight for me, since I've seen it hundreds of times already. At least the small suburban area that this building overlooked was at least enough to keep me awake from the lecture five desks in front of me.

As my eyes wandered around the outside world, something unusual came into my sights. I spotted something diving straight down to the ground at such speed, I wanted to compare it to a rocket that was crashing until I quickly saw it swoop back into the air and flutter there. From the distance it was from me, I couldn't get a clear call on what it was, but from its shape it was obvious that it was a bird of some kind. I estimated its size to be around that of a falcon or a hawk, but from the coloration of the animal's feathers were more reddish-orange then the average raptor. However, aside from that, there was one thing I really took note about this bird. With each flap of the creature's wings, something bright would fall from it; it honestly looked like a shower of embers being spewed from the animal.

This can't be real, from the way it was moving, it didn't seem like one of those remote controlled toys or model planes. It was too erratic and from how the thing was diving, the object of observation was acting like it was attacking something. It definitely has the actions of a raptor, but from those sparks I see would indicate that the thing is burning. I don't think that animals could just spontaneously combust, and I honestly don't think that anyone in my town would be that much of an asshole to set a live bird on fire.

I quickly glanced towards the front of the room to see if the man in the light brown suit was looking in my direction. When I confirmed he wasn't and writing equations on a marker board, I slid my hand into my left pocket and grabbed my phone. I was careful to what apps I pressed, but the moment I clicked for my phone's camera mode, a soft bell rang. People began to slowly shuffle around their desks; some packing up notebooks into binders, others leaving the room almost immediately, and all the while the teacher reminding everyone of a test on Monday. Since my attention was stolen away from the creature, I turned back to the window to see if I could find it again, but I couldn't spot the bird anymore. It had to been my imagination acting up then, something like that couldn't have existed. With that in mind, I cleared my desk of what little notes I had and left as well.

Serpentining my way through a human maze made up of cliques and other lone students, I soon arrived at my destination in this cream hallway and opened up my maroon locker while a small yet noticeable yawn escaped me. As I switched my binder and books for my bag, I heard a young male's voice from my immediate right.

"So did baby miss his nappy time again?"

I instantly responded in a toned down voice with, "Yes baby missed nappy time again."

"Come on Alan, pre-calc still can't be that bad." The male stated afterwards.

He was a young man about the same age as me, but slightly fresher at being the age of eighteen. He had moderately short chocolate blonde hair with a few strains that hung over his dark green eyes. Despite a past statement by him considering himself to be average, if the guy really wanted to, he could swoon the hearts of women with just his looks alone. Aside from that, his medium built body was dressed up in painter blue jeans, a white cotton t-shirt with a light blue polyester dress shirt that had a black dragon designed across through it.

I shut my locker and turned to him. After that I said in a serious voice, "Vic, consider yourself lucky you didn't decide to take that class."

Victor laughed it off and reassured me that I only have to deal with that class for just a few more months. I could hardly wait for that moment, but then again, there would be college afterwards.

Shortly after having that thought, Vic suddenly changed our topic.

"So have you heard the new rumor?"

"Depends, what rumor are you talking about?" I asked.

"A group of people are saying that they've seen a strange creature today." The moment he said that, he had my complete interest. "In fact, someone had recorded in and has been sending it to others."

Vic pulled out his phone and showed me a video text, what I saw widen my eyes a little.

The video showed the bleachers of our football field and from the looks of the students in the foreground, it was during someone's gym period. In the video one of the school's coaches was approaching the side of the bleacher with a metal baseball bat in his hand. He started to bang his weapon loudly against one of the bars and spooked _something_ out from under the seats. I wanted to call it a badger, but I couldn't.

"That looks just like-"

"A Linoone." Vic said; finishing my sentience.

I was speechless, the more I tried to rationalize that animal I just saw being a misidentified badger made my head hurt. I really do want to say that the video is just that of a coach scaring away a badger, but the camera quality is crystal clear, that's a Pokémon. I then thought back to what the creature I saw while I was in class. Now that I think about it, the thing I saw kind of resembled a Talonflame.

"You think Nintendo may be trying to pull a publicity stunt?" I quizzically asked. It would make sense, and maybe the animals were painted up so that they could be misidentified as Pokémon.

"A publicity stunt?" The teen questioned.

I told Victor of what I witnessed not too long ago, but my friend didn't seem to fully believe my reasoning.

"Besides wouldn't it make more sense for Nintendo to do this kind in a larger population then some small town?" Vic said.

"Maybe we're not the only town involved." I countered.

"True. So then want to try and find the main event then?"

"It wouldn't hurt to see what they're planning." Studying can wait.

Before we could continue our conversation any further, I could feel my phone vibrating. It was a text from my mom asking me to pick up some groceries from the store on my way home.

"Can you give me forty minutes? I've got to take care of something, and then I should be able to join you later." I announced.

"No prob, I'll meet you at your house."

After that, Victor and I parted ways. It was about a fifteen minute walk to the store, and after I got what I needed, it shouldn't have been much longer of a walk home if I cut though the park, but I stopped myself after I felt something wet hit me on the head. The moment I looked up, the bright and clear sky had drastically turned into a violent downpour. I would have been fine with it if the rain was light, but this was coming down hard like a serve storm, and one I definitely didn't want to be in. I gripped the plastic bags containing the food I just bought tightly and ran.

From how heavy the water was coming down, my vision was limited to roughly maybe ten to fifteen feet in front of me, but luckily for me, I spotted a few familiar structures. I could see a row of six swings, past that was a small climbable tower with a rubber bridge that led to a spiral slide, and finally slightly beyond that was a small plastic dome that had a few holes you could crawl into; I had at least made it to the playground section of the park. With quick thinking, I decided it was best to take shelter in that dome.

This isn't good; visibility is so low that trying to navigate through this storm would be just a fool's run. If it gets any worse, it could start flooding and then I'll truly be in trouble. But there is one thing I find odd about this storm; there are no claps of thunder or flashes of lightning, just rain. All weather reports foretold that this week and continuing onto the next was supposed to be sunny and still. It's not odd for weather reports to be wrong at times, but for this kind of inaccuracy? Whatever; as long as it doesn't get any worse, then all I have to worry about is being soaked to the bone until it lets up.

I wonder if this storm ruined whatever Nintendo was trying to pull. Could it have been for another Pokémon game? Maybe Saint Dawn and other towns were going to get its own Nintendo store. Who knows, but it may have been postponed due to current circumstances. It would have been interesting to see what was going to happen, but oh well.

As I stared out of the hole I crawled through, my ears picked up on a noise that wasn't the sound of water. It was very soft moaning and whimpering, and from the sound of it, it was entering my temporary shelter through the hole to my left. Upon turning to see what the source was, my eyes widened and I lunged myself back into the wall out of fear.

A creature roughly around the size of a small human was crawling its way in. The top half of the thing's body was white with deep red blotches stained on various areas, while the lower half of its body was a slightly lighter red. On the creature's back were two wings hanging down in a limp like fashion, and on its chest was a blue triangle. Lastly, the entity I'm looking at has two white triangle ears that arc back away from its red wincing face.

I felt like I was having a heart attack as I gazed in astonishment. I'm looking at a Latias. There is no physical way that this _thing_ could exist. Pokémon is just a fictional franchise thought up by both Game Freak and Nintendo, but from the sounds it was making and from the way it was moving, this creature is as real as the very air I'm breathing.

The Latias opened and quickly noticed me with its yellow eyes, and the moment it did, the creature leapt a two feet off the ground and hovered there for a few seconds before collapsing back down.

If the stains of crimson on the Latias weren't obvious that the Pokémon was injured, then that action was evident enough. I slowly reached out my hand and took a step, and when I did, the Latias gave me quite an intimidating scowl.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." I said in a soft tone. The moment I was literally inches away from it, I had this fear that it was going to bite me, but I mustered up the courage to continue and gently laid my hand on the Pokémon's cheek. "See?"

According to all information about Latias, its species is female, and I wasn't about to be rude enough to check if it was now. But feeling her soft down feathers tickle the palm of my hand and her body shiver against it was further proof that this Latias was real.

"It's going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the rain finally let up to a degree that the rest of the park was visible and I could see the street at the end. I looked back down at the Latias and I saw that she was staring in my eyes. I let out a sigh and removed my book bag, only to stuff the groceries in it. After that, I wore my bag on my chest and then gradually and carefully shifted the Latias onto my back. The Pokémon laid her head next to mine while bringing her arms around and latched onto me with her small claws; it felt like I was carrying a child. Once I was done making sure the Latias was secure on me, I rushed home.

I ran inside, not even bothering to lock the door behind me, sprinted upstairs and kicked the door open to my room. It wasn't the largest location in my house, but it was still big enough for anyone to be satisfied with; and with how I kept things, there was plenty of movement space. Across my door is where I kept my bed, which sat in a corner with navy blue covers on top of it. Following to the left of my wall was the set of my windows that looked out to the front of my house while under the window is where I had placed a walnut brown, fold out futon mattress. On the opposite side of that was my computer desk area with a walk in closet between the two points. Lastly, behind my computer chair was a small dresser which had my television and two video game consoles sitting on it.

I sat on my bed and carefully slid the Latias on my covers and after that, I immediately threw my bag off me, and pulled my futon out into its bed position. I ran into my bathroom, grabbed as many towels as I could and a small bucket that I filled with warm water. After that, I ran into my parent's bathroom and snatched our first aid kit along with a bottle of curamin.

I sprinted back to my room like a madman and laid out all the materials I gathered. First I laid a couple of towels on the futon mattress and then carefully moved Latias over. Since the rest of the stuff was already prepared, I snatched up another towel and started to wash the blood off the Pokémon with the warm water. I don't know what happened to her before she met me, but from the amount of lacerations and bruises this Latias has could indicate she escaped a pretty bad scuffle; there were too many to count. Even though I had finished cleaning her wounds, I didn't really want to take the chance of possible infection; I picked up a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

"This is going to sting a bit." The second I started to spray the Pokémon, she let out a loud cry of pain. With each spray, I felt bad for her. It's unfortunate that she has to suffer more, but this is so things don't become worse.

"There, that was the last one." When I said that, I did my best to not look into the tearing eyes of Latias, but I couldn't avoid her gaze when I started bandaging her up. "I'm sorry it hurt, but it'll help you get better."

I then grabbed the bottle of curamin and popped out a tablet to offer the Pokémon. The Latias looked at it with her wet eyes then instantly turned away.

"I know the spray stung, but this will help alleviate the pain. You can trust me on this." My words were soft and I wore a gently smile. The Latias slowly looked at me, and then would switch her sights between me and the little yellow pill, until she finally licked it out of my hand.

"Good, now you just get some rest."

I picked up my book bag and walked to my door, but before I left the room, I turned back to the Pokémon and showed her that smile I had one last time before letting her sleep. At the snap of a finger, that smile had completely faded away as I finished shutting my door. As I sluggishly wondered through my house, my bag dangled from my fingers. Each area I searched was completely void of life. My last hope was the garage, but that too was empty; the mere sight was enough for my bag to slip out of my fingers and onto the floor. I quietly shut the door and crashed against the wall, only to sink to the floor.

This can't be real. This has to be a dream! I mean come on, real live Pokémon? That's ridiculous! The only reasonable explanation for this is I'm having a dream.

I was about to rest my face in my hands, but I noticed that there was a little on the Latias' blood on them. I can feel its warmth. I lowered my appendages and positioned them near my mouth. A pinch won't suffice for waking me up.

I winced and instantly released my hand from my teeth. It's real. It's all real!

I started laughing; they were quiet at first, but then they grew more psychotic.

It's all real!

Before it could get any worse, I stopped myself and took in a few deep breaths. I just saved a real life Latias, and I didn't want to go insane because of that. I picked myself back up afterwards and went to the kitchen to leave my bag and clean my hands of the blood. Suddenly when I was drying off my hands, I felt my phone go off; upon inspecting it, it was a text from Vic saying he wouldn't be able to hang out like we planned. It was probably a good thing too considering the circumstances. I dropped myself onto my living room couch and turned on the main television to help calm my mind. The first channel it was on was a news station; the following channels I flipped through were news stations as well.

"Bizarre reports of strange creatures-"

"Pokémon, real or fake?-"

"Nintendo is currently under investiga-"

"-Nintendo denies all allegations involving the sudden appearance of actual Pokémon."

I turned off the TV and I went dead silent.


	2. Chapter 2 The House Guest

**Chapter Two: The House Guest**

What the hell is going on? This can't be a mere coincidence that Pokémon are suddenly real, can it? Nintendo or Game Freak has to be involved in this somehow; it would make sense market wise. Not only that, it would also be a massive scientific breakthrough to create a device to give life to fictional entities. If that is true, then Nintendo would evolve into probably one of the richest if not _the_ richest company to exist. However, Nintendo is denying all association with the incident; plus, what neo sapien died to give them that kind of technology. Whatever the cause, the damage is done. Pokémon are now an actual species and I have one recovering in my room.

I rubbed my head to help soothe the pounding headache that developed from still trying to comprehend this information, but something suddenly broke my chain of thought. A low rumble with the sound of a chain being cranked reverberated through the walls. My eyes widened as I quickly turned and heard the sound of a car engine rev, followed by tires pull up onto the concrete of my garage. After that, my heart skipped a beat as I furiously switched my gaze between the wall and the ceiling.

Have my parents heard the news yet about Pokémon? Have they even encountered one already? How am I going to explain having a Latias in my room? This isn't going to be easy.

With monstrous energy, the garage do flew open and a little girl stepped into the house. She was the age of a second grader with one of the brightest smiles I've ever seen on her. Her glimmering sapphire blue eyes hid behind her wet walnut brown hair that she had in a pigtail. And like me, her entire body was drenched, but the only difference between me and the little girl was the fact she was soaked with only water, while I had some blood mixed in.

The very second the girl saw me; she ran up to me and excitedly exclaimed, "Alan! Alan! Did you hear!? Pokémon are real!"

"Yeah, isn't that great?" I responded with a nervous smile. Before I could continue any further, I found myself in the tight embrace of a much older woman.

Her voice was far more mature and filled with worry as she spoke the words, "Oh thank God you're okay!" She then pulled back and looked me in the eyes. Just like my little sister, her appearance was the same except her hair wasn't in a pigtail and instead of having joy in her aging blue eyes, fear had welled up.

"You should have called when you got home! Strange creatures have started appearing and there was that odd rain storm; you could have gotten hurt or worse!" Just like how I felt, her tone was on the borderline of complete hysteria. Shortly afterwards, the horror in her eyes increased as her mouth dropped. I noticed in the corner of my eyes she was looking at her left hand.

"A-are you bleeding!? You're not hurt are you!?"

"That's…that's not my blood." I let out a deep sigh as I tried to find my next words, but couldn't. Instead, I started slowly walking up to my room and then stopped at my door. "Peek inside."

My mother looked nervous, but she was compliant. It was only a few seconds before she had her clean hand over her mouth and shut my door. She started stammering as she turned to me. I could barely face her as she was now, but I still spoke.

"I found her when I took shelter from the rain and just couldn't leave her there in its current condition."

Before another word could be said, the door to my room went wide open and I could hear my sister let out a loud gasp. I looked in my room and could see the girl already in front of the Latias and reaching her hand out to the Pokémon as if to pet it. My mom then rushed in and grabbed my sister back.

"Don't touch it, Cecil!" The middle age woman exclaimed as she exited my room while carrying the little girl. After that, she turned to me and ordered me to get rid of the thing.

"No…"

"What do you mean "No"? Don't talk like you know that thing! You have no idea what it's capable of!" My mom barked.

"I'm not about to abandon her the way she is!" To further prove my defiance, I stood in the doorway and stared her down; blocking any means of getting to the injured Latias.

"Your father is going to have a word with you when he comes home, and then we'll get rid of that _thing_!"

I watched as my mother left with my sister back downstairs. After that, I turned to the Latias who was looking up at me in confusion.

I know what Pokémon are capable of, and because of that, I know that they possess powers beyond human comprehension. What's actually stopping this Latias from attacking us the moment she gets her strength back? My mom has the right to be afraid, but what about my dad? How is he going to react? What is he going to do when he gets home? What have I done?

I felt like a man waiting for his firing squad to shoot when I sat in the living room with my parent. The silence would have been unbearable if it wasn't for Cecil's eagerness to see Latias again. Unfortunately, no one was allowed to head back into my room until my father arrived. It took maybe around ten to fifteen minutes for him to get home when my family started waiting, but for me and probably my mom as well, it felt like hours.

My father was the same age as my mom, but with some scruff on his exhausted face; giving him the appearance of being slightly older. He was also a tall, well fit man with short hair so dark, it almost seemed black. Also like everyone else, he too had a shower from the storm. He looked towards my mother and me with his stern brown eyes quizzically. There wasn't a moment to spare when he was told of my actions. When my mother was done, I spoke up after; telling my dad on how I found the Latias and decided to take her in.

My dad then said with his deep voice, "Show me it" and just stared us down.

Each step I took felt so heavy to the point that I felt like I was going to sink into the ground. Despite that, I sluggishly continued forward to where the Pokémon was kept and stopped next to my room's door. After that, I watched my father enter the area without a single speck of fear in his eyes. His audience then watched how he stood only inches away from the Latias while examining it, and then looked her directly in the eyes. From what I could see by peeking around the corner, Latias didn't break eye contact with my dad, but from her expression, seemed intimidated.

My heart felt low as I could only imagine the terrible expression I wore. Yes, I brought home a creature that could potentially harm us, but from how Latias responded to me and allowed me to treat her wounds, I honestly don't think she have would turn against us.

When my father finally broke contact with injured Pokémon and started back to the group, I immediately noticed Latias glance directly at me with her nervous yellow eyes. It was at that moment, I knew that despite all I have done to try and save this majestic creature, I had failed.

"Don't forget to change its bandages when the time comes, and do try to find out what your new friend eats. That thing is your responsibility now."

My eyes widened and my mind went blank the absolute second I heard those words come out of my dad's mouth. What made the thing even more shocking was just how nonchalant he said it too.

"What are you saying!? This isn't some dog Alan found!" My mother announced with one of the most shocked faces I've ever seen.

"Alan isn't a little boy anymore; he's old enough to make these kinds of decisions. He knows what he's doing." My dad countered with a relaxed tone. "So what's for dinner?"

My mother started stammering as both her and I wore the same dumbfounded face, but our astonishment was eventually cut out by Cecil gleefully asking for spaghetti with shrimp. Upon hearing that, my dad then let out a light hearted chuckle and agreed to the suggestion. From my other parent's confusion, it was obvious who was going to be cooking tonight, but that didn't matter to me. I let out small snicker, followed by a sigh of relief when the all the tension left me.

"By the way, don't forget to wash your covers. There's some blood on it." My dad stated when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

What he said was enough to snap me back into a coherent state since he was right. However, before I did switch out the sheets, I dropped down to the ground and sat eye level with the Pokémon.

"Looks like you get to stay after all. So, you glad?"

I don't know what kind of response I was expecting. In fact, upon saying that, I wondered what Latias would sound like; if it was going to be based more on the anime or game. I watched Latias open her mouth and heard a soft growl; not one made from her voice. I then laughed as I saw the Pokémon turn her face away while with what actually looked like a blush of embarrassment.

"Don't worry; I'll get you something light to eat." When I began to leave, I felt the tinge of a migraine form and I could have sworn I heard someone say "thank you." It was a soft female's voice that wasn't old enough to be my mom's or young enough to be my sister. I looked over my shoulder and saw Latias lay her head back down on the futon. It couldn't have been the Pokémon, could it? Whatever it was, I shook my head grabbed a meal for the guest.

It was a couple of minutes of staring into an open fridge and guessing what _this_ Pokémon eats. Eventually I came down to the decision of fruit; based on both the game mechanic of berries and the anime showing that Pokémon will at least eat fruit. Unfortunately, I don't have any super fruit that can heal the devourer instantly, so I decided on a bowl of apple sauce that I spiced up with some cinnamon and a bowl of strawberry ice cream I took from a tub of Neapolitan. When it came to the point of me spoon feeding Latias, I couldn't help but go over her body and look at her injuries.

I don't know if that was you that spoke earlier, but if you could talk Latias, I have so many questions I want to ask you. Would you be able to answer them? Can you tell me how you got hurt? Can you tell me where you came from?

After the Pokémon finished eating her dinner, I didn't leave to grab mine yet. Instead, I just stayed next to the Latias. She quizzically gazed back at me until I laid my hand on her soft cheek and began to gently caress it. My action seemed to help relax the eon Pokémon since after a minute had passed, Latias then proceeded to lay her head in my lap. This was enough to cause a small smile to form on me and want to stay even longer with her. Sadly, my time spent in this position was cut short due to a giggling Cecil poking her head from around the corner of my door and informing me that she was sent to tell me that my dinner was getting cold. As much as I didn't want to leave, I fought the urge to stay and eventually got up to finally eat. After that, time seemed have flown by.

I had already finished washing my covers, and also exchanged the towels I originally laid out for my guest with a blanket and extra pillow I had. After that, I decided to change into the turquoise scrubs and white t-shirt that I used as my sleepwear. However, I couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed undressing in front of Latias, so in order to save some modesty; I ended up changing clothes in my closet. Once done, I switched off the light; leaving only a bit of the moon's illumination crawling against my floor.

I felt a bit nervous as I lied flat on my mattress. I've had a sleepover when I was younger, but I can't consider this to be in the same kind of context, nor can I consider this situation to be like sleeping next to a pet. I want to say it feels as awkward as a fresh couple's first night together, but when I put it that way, it sounds weird. This is a Pokémon I'm spending the night with, so just _how_ am I suppose to compare this situation?

I rolled over on my side; facing my injured guest and noticed she hasn't fallen asleep yet. Instead, Latias was staring over at me until she shuffled herself to free one of her arms and reached over. The eon Pokémon held her hand at me and kept it in air all while keeping me in her sight. I remained frozen as I gazed back in wonderment. It wasn't until Latias made a soft trill that I decided to slide out from under my sheets and crouch in front of her. Even though I moved closer, she still held her hand up to me. Out of curiosity, I gradually raised my left hand and gently grasped it. I don't know what Latias was doing or planning, but after a few seconds, I felt like some small force was entering me using my hand as the bridge. Following that, I could feel another migraine form, but that was soon washed over with the sense of being filled with absolute appreciation. After that, my lips arched upwards as I let go of the Pokémon so she could rest.

"Pleasant dreams."


	3. Chapter 3 Origin Unknown

**Chapter Three: Origin Unknown**

I could hear the chirps of recently woken birds outside searching for food. Through the vents, a slight cool breeze settled into my room. With no other noise occurring, I was to assume that the rest of my neighborhood still slept the hours away. I remained still while being partially covered up in enough of my sheets to give me some relaxing warmth. My eyes laid transfixed over to the right where the light of the twilight sky shined on my peacefully sleeping guest. The illumination of this new day against Latias' coat gave her the appearance of having a soft sheen shimmering over her.

If I didn't have this feeling in my gut, I would have taken a picture of this moment, but I fear any movement I make, may accidentally wake up the Pokémon. I wonder if moments like this were a common experience where Latias came from, or if her legendary classification as a Pokémon made them exceptionally rare. Despite not having another way to preserve this incident, I'm still glad I got to witness it.

As I continued to observe, I noticed the eon Pokémon began to slowly shuffle around the blanket I gave her until I noticed the yellow of her eyes. Latias gradually raised her head and started back at me with her half opened eyes.

"Sleep well?" I asked with a soft smile.

The response I was given was a quiet moan as Latias yawned at me, followed by the Pokémon laying her head back down against her pillow. After that, Latias let out a tired moan as I witness her snuggle herself back to sleep.

I carefully made my way out of my bed and quietly sat on my carpet so not to disturb Latias that much; I probably still had that smile as I positioned myself next to her. It's still early, so I can't really blame the Pokémon for wanting to rest some more, and considering her condition, it's most likely the best option currently. Following the action as my guest, I closed my eyes. After a few moments I opened my eyes, and what I saw surprised me a bit. My face was maybe an inch or less away from Latias', and it was painfully obvious that she wasn't asleep since I could see the Pokémon's eyes observing me clear as day.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." When I said that, I noticed outside my window that the orange and red from dawn had been replaced by a clear blue sky. I then fumbled my hand around my bed's headboard and pulled my phone down to check the time. It's already ten; so how long was I being watched for?

Suddenly, my face was being tickled by Latias' down as she started nuzzling me. I would have enjoyed the cuddly assault more if it wasn't for another migraine starting to form. It was a couple of seconds later that I managed to catch the Pokémon's face by gently grasping her cheeks. Latias stared at me with confused eyes, but then decided to calm down when I mentioned fixing her something to eat.

For this morning, I decided on experimenting with the Pokémon's diet capabilities and returned shortly after with a bowl of oatmeal mixed with raisins and maple syrup, however upon my arrival, I could see I wasn't the only one to enter to my room.

"Be mindful of her injures." I stated to the little girl.

"I know. So what are you going to call her?" Cecil replied while still petting the seemingly content Latias.

During the period I was preparing the eon Pokémon's meal, I had thought of a few names in mind. Despite being a legendary, this may not be the only Latias to exist in my world now, so I would consider it confusing to constantly refer this Pokémon after her species name and then end up encountering another Latias. So while I fed my recovering roommate, I went over the names I thought of until the Latias found one she seemed to enjoy having.

"Alright, so Lyra it is." I declared. The name has some baggage, but nothing too bad.

Noon came around sooner than anticipated, but that's to be expected while working. Instead of studying for that test on Monday, I ended up kicking my sister out of the room so I could provide some fresh bandages for Lyra. As much Cecil adores the Pokémon, I can be sure she wouldn't find Lyra's wounds to be as cute. While I exchanged out the old dressings, I couldn't help notice that the Pokémon's wounds didn't appear as sever when I first saw them; they're still pretty bad, but not as threatening as earlier. It can't be from the move recover, because I would assume that if this Latias knew that technique, her injures would be at a point of barely noticeable. If anything, I would guess that Pokémon may have a faster healing rate than humans. And if that's the case, then maybe battles aren't as dangerous or life threatening as they appear in the game or anime.

Before I could speculate any further on Pokémon biology, my contemplation was interrupted by my phone suddenly vibrating. It turned out to be a text from Victor asking if he could visit to discuss something urgent. I agreed to our meeting and had a feeling I know what he wanted to talk about. He's going to be in for a surprise when he gets here.

It wasn't long after I had finished redressing Lyra that I heard the doorbell ring. I had already informed my parents that my friend was coming over, so it was my duty to answer the door. The very moment I opened the entryway for Vic, my eyes were immediately drawn to the two foot entity standing next to him. Nervously glancing at me with its red eyes that hid underneath its pink crystalline headdress, the creature took a deep inhale, spread the ends of its snow white dress, and lightly bowed its head.

"You must be Sir Defleur; it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Diancie." A young regal sounding woman announced.

My eyes were as large as dinner plate and only air escaped my mouth as I stared at the Pokémon. It just wasn't the fact that there was a Diancie standing next Victor, but it was the fact that there was no one here whose voice sounds or talks like what was just said. My eyes can see the speaker, but just how was this Pokémon able to talk? I didn't even see her mouth move.

"As you can see, this is the subject I wanted to talk about." Vic said.

"Did-…how is she able to speak?" I blattered out.

"Telepathy. Look, is it okay if we come in?"

I nodded once and showed the two in; while Victor and I walked towards my room, the Diancie was using the lower rock half of her body to hop until we got to the stair, from there she just levitated up the steps with ease. I watched curiously on how the Pokémon floated a few seconds after reaching the top step and then gently landed, only to pinch Victor's pants and slightly hide behind his leg when she noticed me staring. With Lyra's ability to levitate, I can connect the capability to her being a psychic type, but what about Diancie? Maybe her being a mineral type Pokémon allows her to manifest and control the polarity in her body and achieve lift through magnetism. Or maybe Diancie being a fairy type gives her incomprehensible magic. Whatever the cause, trying to apply reasoning to it will only make my brain hurt since all logic vanished yesterday.

"Holy shit!" Were the first words to escape Vic's mouth when he saw the creature that was recovering in my room.

"As you can see, I am well-versed in the situation at hand." I sarcastically declared as I sat next to the Latias. After that, I calmly introduced Lyra to the others.

"Lyra? As in Lyra the Latias from your nuzlocke run?" Victor asked as he sat on my bed across from me.

"Yes, that Lyra…" Please don't tease me about that.

"How did you two meet, and how did she end up like that?" Vic inquisitively asked.

Taking relief in being spared, I explained the incident on how I met Lyra. I however, couldn't fully explain the eon Pokémon's injures since I don't know the direct cause of them.

"So what about you and Diancie? How did you two meet?" I inquired.

"During the storm yesterday, I heard something else aside from the rain outside and eventually found Diancie taking shelter in my backyard." My friend informed.

After hearing that, I glanced over at the jewel Pokémon, and when I did, a thought entered my head. I then turned back to Victor and quickly asked, "Have you already asked Diancie about her origins?" Since Diancie _can_ communicate with us, she may have some knowledge as to what is exactly happening with our world.

"I have, but you're not going to like the answer. Diancie came from a place where humans and Pokémon coexisted peacefully for ages; the place she is from is called Earth." From the way Vic spoke, it sounded like there was a bit of angst in his voice.

"Hold on, that can't be right. Earth? As in our Earth, or some other realm of existence called Earth?" I stared dead center in my friend's eyes as he gazed back at me in silence. I already knew my answer. "Do you know how crazy that sounds!? Darwin couldn't have fucked up that bad when he created his theory of evolution! And even if he did, the mere existence of Pokémon wouldn't have gone unnoticed until yesterday!"

"Before meeting me, Diancie said that she lived with a group of Carbink until she felt an earthquake. After that, she awoke and wandered around in the rain until I took her in." From Victor's demeanor, it was obvious he wanted some clarification on what is actually happening with our world as well.

I could feel a cold sweat form on the back of my neck as I glanced at both Pokémon in the room. Both Lyra and Diancie looked back at me with uneasiness in their eyes.

"Chaos will ensue before order will return."

I placed my face in both my palms and ran my fingers through my hair as I said, "Please don't go philosophical on me."

"The ecosystem is changing to accommodate the power brought forth by Pokémon. The economy could collapse or significantly rise with the influence of Pokémon in daily life. The interactions between Pokémon and the entities of this realm will allow humans transcend into a new understanding of nature."

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Do you even know what caused that massive rain storm yesterday?" Victor countered.

"An unusual weather phenomenon?"

"Kyogre. Our town's news station managed to record it off shore before it disappeared." His words stabbed at me like a knife. "Mankind cannot look at the sky and ask it to rain, but Kyogre can will it."

"Why are you doing this to me, man?"

"Because you're actions proved it; you're like me. Deep down, we're both afraid of what will happen. _I_ however took the time to mentally recover and prepare myself. This situation is here to stay whether we want it to or not."

When the foundation of what was a normal life for me has been destroyed, how am I supposed to act?

"Take a deep breath. Look at your Latias and tell me why you took her in. Tell me why you already named her." Victor added on.

I did as he requested and turned to Lyra who was intensely glaring at Victor; that was until I lightly placed my hand on the Latias' cheek and snagged her attention. Lyra looked at me, and then went back to trying to intimidate Vic while positioning her head in between me and him.

"Because it was the right thing to do, and…and-"

"And because the two of you already bonded and you want her to stay." Vic declared as he finished my sentence. I could swear I saw a genuine smile forming on him.

"Being honest, when I first saw Lyra, I was scared, but not exactly at her. It was more of the fear of losing my old life to this new experience." I could have ran away the moment I saw Lyra, and that would have been the end of things there. I could have kept a partial bit of my old life while experiencing the changes around me and not bothering with them. But when the urge arose to protect this Pokémon, I think-no, I know I made the right decision. Lyra trusts me, and I know that in the future, I can rely on her. My brain wasn't ready for the change, but my heart was.

"So what about you? Why did you take in Diancie?" I asked as I gently scratched behind Lyra's ears; slowly relaxing the Latias.

"World domination." Vic bluntly replied.

"Smooth plan, smartass. So what's the real reason?" I laughed.

"Just like you, I did the unthinkable and made a new friend I knew I could trust and count on." He answered wholeheartedly with a soft smirk.

The Diancie that had a shocked expression from the earlier comment now wore a bright smile upon her face as she looked up at our friend.

"So in the end, what does that say about us when compared to other people?" I asked while still rubbing Lyra's head as she laid it in my lap.

"I don't know. Maybe we're some of the willing to accept monumental change despite the circumstance? That in truth, we're actually a part of a special group of people born to be Pokémon handlers even though they had no existence before hand? Or maybe we're just crazy?" Vic chuckled.

"Well considering how bewildered my mom and a lot of others were, I would say it's either the first or the last. Probably the last option." I joked. And with that, I just realized I'd also called my little sister crazy since she's ecstatic about the event.

"Lovely, I always wanted to be considered insane." My friend sarcastically declared with gusto while throwing an arm in the air. "So have you heard of Project Pocket Monster?"

Upon seeing my confusion for the first response I gave, I was then asked to sit at my desk and turn on my computer to look for a certain article. While I scrolled through pages of text, Victor hovered over me, all the while Diancie started timidly talking to Lyra. Their conversation wasn't much of a bother to my focus as I continue to read what the news report was about. As it turned out, Project Pocket Monster was as the name implied; about Pokémon. More specifically, the article stated that early this morning, Game Freak and all its associations will release all data about Pokémon to a focus group of engineers to begin the development of Poké Balls. Apparently the theory of how the mechanism will work is based on an algorithm of converting matter into condensed energy and back into its original state when released. Even though in their discussions with Nintendo and the environmental agencies that have begun investigating Pokémon, these unique creatures aren't considered to be initially dangerous, but some caution may want to be taken. This is the reason why the project was started and is based on the principle from last night's conferences, with hopes of putting some form of containment on the invasive species that was believed to be fictional.

"Um, excuse me, Sir Defleur and Sir Torino? Lyra wants to try something." Diancie shyly interrupted.

"There's no need to be so formal, but what's up?" My friend said as we both turned to the Pokémon.

The jewel Pokémon followed with, "Oh, Okay then. Alan, could you come and sit in front of your Latias?"

I did what Diancie had asked and took my place in front of Lyra while the others watched. Lyra then extended out her paws at me and gestured for me to hold then with a soft coo, and when I did, the eon Pokémon slowly leaned forward and pressed her forehead against mine. I remained still and silent for a few seconds until I felt this force of energy wash over my head. At first, it made me feel light, so weightless that not even gravity affected me; it was kind of euphoric and relaxing. Then when the force I felt blanketed my brain, I could feel a migraine starting to form. Despite the pang I encountered, I decided to endure it. I don't know why, but as it persisted, I suddenly felt like I wasn't in my own body any more. I could still feel the connection to myself, but at the same time, I felt one with Lyra's and it almost felt like her body was also mine. When my migraine turned into a hangover style headache, I winched myself back into the side of my bed and grasped my forehead.

"Are you alright?"

I was about to respond, but I stopped myself. It was a woman's voice I heard, but it wasn't that of Diancie's or anyone else I knew. I recognize this voice though; I've already heard it once.

"Lyra?" I leaned forward.

"Can you understand me? Are you okay?"

It was the same voice again, and as I gazed into the concerned eyes of the Latias, I knew who the speaker was.

"Yeah, I can. And I'm okay; I just have a bit of a headache." I replied with wide eyes.

"That's good, it worked this time." Lyra stated with a sigh.

"What worked this time?" I quizzically asked.

"Before, I tried to create a proper link with you so we could communicate more efficiently, but I didn't have the strength to make one the first time, and this morning you stopped me." The eon Pokémon answered.

"So you the migraines I've been having we you trying to form a link?"

"Yes, and I am sorry for any discomfort I caused you. That shouldn't happen anymore now that we're mentally connected." Lyra stated.

Before I could continue, Victor interrupted me while asking what exactly was happening between me and the Latias.

"Can't you hear her?" I asked while looking at the guy. The only response I was given was Victor shaking his head at me. To this, I turned back to Lyra in confusion.

"I currently don't have enough energy back to create multiple links for humans. If it's okay with you, you could repeat what I say to him." The Pokémon announced to me.

"I suppose you were already able to understand the subject of our earlier conversation?"

The Latias nodded. "Before I met you, I was playing with my brother and our friends at my home. Everything was so nice, so peaceful, but…but suddenly, the planet rumbled and a bright flash came. After that, I found myself in the middle of the ocean alone. I traveled until I came to a coast and started searching for help, and when I approached a group of people, they responded with fear in their eyes and attacked me. I fled until I found you."

I relayed what was said back to the others, to this Victor knelt down to eye level with Lyra and asked, "Did you happen to see what caused the flash?"

The eon Pokémon shook her head at us. Victor and I then turned to look at each other with disappoint. In the back of my mind, I had a possible answer to where these Pokémon came from, and from the look in Victor's eyes, he came to the same conclusion as I did. I don't really want to admit this speculation, but dare I say that there is a parallel realm of existence where Pokémon are real? And as farfetched as that could be and if it is true, then what has happened to that place? What caused Pokémon to start flooding this world? There are questions without answers, and trying to find the truth now will only cause my frustration.

The air in the room felt heavy from the mood, so we decided to shift away from the subject for now. It was about another thirty minutes before Diancie and Victor left. Once I returned from seeing them off, I took my place next to Lyra and relaxed myself. However, my mental respiration was cut off when I felt the Pokémon's claws on top my hand.

"I know in my condition I'm a burden, but thank you for helping me. I don't know how I'll repay your generosity." Lyra stated with such sincerity, that it left me grinning from ear to ear.

"There is no need to repay me with anything; I'll help you no matter what to make sure you're happy. That's what friends do. My home is now your home too." I replied.

The eon Pokémon's mouth slightly dropped as her eyes were shocked. Suddenly, Lyra placed both her hands on my shoulders and used them to support herself up as she looked me in the eyes appreciatively. Following that, I could feel her arms wrap around the back of my neck as she pulled me closer.

"Thank you!"

I still had my smile as I gently snuggled into the warmth of this Pokémon and hugged her back.


	4. Chapter 4 Public Response

**Chapter Four: Public Response**

Not a single cloud disrupted the shining sun of this brand new day. A gentle breeze blew through some nearby trees; softly rustling their leaves. Despite not being in a close location to the beach, that soft draft was enough to carry over the scent of sea salt to my location. If this was any other day, then it would have been considered a normal spring day for Saint Dawn, but as of now the air is filled with curiosity and an uneasy tension. I, along with a small group of teens with backpacks had our eyes follow a flock a birds flying towards the ocean. Usually this kind of sight is just a group of seagulls, but this time it's a pack of wingulls with a few seagulls. I bet this sight may become a common scene in the near future, but for now it still feels alien and exotic.

After watching the flock soar off into the distances, I felt immediate regret as I placed my hand on the glass door of a maroon brick building. I have an injured Pokémon in my room with no one to look after, and despite raising that argument, I'm still forced to go to school. I'm as least glad I got to prepare some meals for Lyra before leaving her.

Once I finished preparing myself for first period, I sat at my desk and glanced at the motivational posters that lay plastered around the walls. Whenever my eyes would catch sight of the clock near the doorway, I could swear time was getting slower; the starting bell hasn't even rung yet. I groaned in my hands as trepidation began sinking in, and what made it worse was the fact that other classmates were talking about the big current event that's happening. Some of the students talked about how they had close encounters with various Pokémon, while others questioned on what was going to happen to the world now. A few of the students seemed excited about the incident, some didn't seem to really care, and others were nervous; especially this one girl who brought her book bag into class. Some of the conversations were interesting to hear, like if Pokémon battles and contests will become a new sport, and will a Pokémon league be formed? But fuck me; these conversations were not helping my mindset. I wonder if Vic is experiencing the same agitation since he has to leave Diancie at his house.

A soft tone rang three times, and a middle-age man wearing tan dress pants and a light blue button down shirt entered the room. "Okay class, settle down now." He stated with his gruff voice as he positioned himself at the front row of desks.

Oh thank god!

"Now I'm pretty sure you're all aware of the current situation of _certain_ fictional creatures suddenly becoming real. I just want you to know that the remainder of the school year will continue as normal until further notice, but luckily for you students, all classes will be cut short for this week." The teacher continued.

The man's words helped further ease my anxiety and allowed me to take a mental breath now knowing that I can return home two hours early; I don't care that we'll have to rush through some subjects now.

"Okay, now I want you all to open your text books to page three hundred. We last left off discussing that Aristotle had-"

"Nyaa!"

The room was silent after that interruption. Everyone and including myself turned our attention to the source of this cat like noise. It was Alisa; the girl who brought her school bag with her. She sat frozen at her desk with a red face that was mixed with some fear. The class remained confused as we gazed intently at her, and it would have continued like this if it wasn't for another meow. Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn from Alisa to her bag as it was wiggling next to her like it was alive. With the burst of lively energy, two paws and the round head of a pink and cream colored cat managed to poke its way out of the backpack. Alisa's pleas for the Pokémon to stay hidden were ignored as the skitty continued to wiggle its way out of the bag with a big smile. Once free, some students used their desks to jumped back away; one guy freaked out so much, he actually toppled his desk over with him in it.

The kitten Pokémon seemed to be having a field day as it ran around the room, exploring every inch it could. At a point it sprinted up next to me, the little skitty smiled up at me.

"Um…hi?" I awkwardly declared.

The skitty quickly meowed at me and then continued on with its little adventure around the classroom. Once the kitten Pokémon stopped in front of the teacher, I heard the sound of metal and plastic scrap each other as a chair toppled over, and when I turned to the source of the noise, I noticed a navy blue skirt flutter out of the corner of my sights. When my eyes caught up with the speedy object, I, along with the rest of the class, saw a girl with long, reddish-orange hair and wearing a blue skirt kneeling in front of the educational worker. Alisa then slowly raised her head as she gazed at our teacher with her sky blue eyes. That man's eyes were filled with fear and confusion as he stared down at the girl holding the Pokémon.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen!" Alice quickly announced with a scared tone.

The teacher gave the skitty a short determining glance before letting out a soft exhale after assessing the situation. He then cleared his throat as he straightened himself out and stated, "Alisa, you know full well that it's against school policy to bring pets in."

"I don't think that classifies as a pet." I muttered to myself. After saying that, I remained silent because I just realized the sheer stupidity I just unleashed upon myself since all eyes were now focused on me. The teacher asked me to repeat myself. It took a moment for me to respond.

"I honestly believe that Pokémon can't be considered a pet. At least not yet possibly."

"I'm going to agree with Alan on this. By definition, that creature couldn't have been domesticated yet, so it can't be considered a pet." Another student a few desks over chimed in.

I decided to add the statement, "Besides, can you actually compare this _other worldly being _to anything originating here? Especially any animal that is a pet?"

The teacher just stared dumbfounded at the two of us only to turn back to the Pokémon. "Okay then, what would you consider this situation to be, you two?"

I turned to the other student, only to see him do the same thing and then shrug at me. I then decided to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

"A wild Pokémon caught by a Pokémon trainer so the two can become companions."

When I finished saying that, I just realized something, considering the circumstances, have Victor and I become Pokémon trainers? I know technically we haven't caught Lyra or Diancie, but those two Pokémon have decided to stay with us.

"You know what? I'm not going to try and argue this any further. Class is done for the day; do whatever until the bell rings." The teacher frustratingly announced. He then sat at his desk while mumbling something to what I believe was him saying that he was too young to have a heart attack.

The class was dead silent. Alisa remained nervous as she slowly gazed around the room at her desk and was met by the judging eyes of her fellow classmates. The little Pokémon frivolously wiggled and excitedly gazed at everything it could from the confines of the teen's arms that it sat in. The reason why I remained staring at the current attraction was out of curiosity, however, I couldn't say if the others looked with the same mindset as I did.

Suddenly, one student scooted her desk closer to Alisa and her skitty. Soon another moved closer, and then another and another, until finally the girl was the center of a group. The tension in the air eased once the group began conversing with Alisa. Some teens would ask her about her Pokémon, how she met it, and what she plans to do with it. One girl even got the chance to scratch behind the skitty's ear, which caused it to purr. As that happened, I glanced over at the teacher and saw him take a sip from a bottle of water while wearing the exhausted expression of taking a mental breather.

As the teacher stated, class ended twenty minutes early. Despite knowing school was going to be short today, this period felt like it went quicker than it should have; probably because of the fuzzy guest we had. Either way, I don't mind and it was somewhat entertaining.

Before I stepped out into the hall, I was stopped by the tug on my left sleeve. I glanced over my shoulder to see what was pulling on me, only to be met with the blue eyes of Alisa and the Pokémon that rested in her free arm. After seeing that she had my attention, she then caught the attention of another student while still keeping mine.

"Alan, Leonel, I just wanted to thank the two of you for jumping in like that earlier. If you didn't, I don't think I would have been able to keep my skitty by the end of the day." Alisa graciously declared.

"No prob." I replied.

Leonel added, "If you figured it would have caused you some trouble, why didn't you simply leave the little fella home?"

"I don't think that's a good idea; at least not yet anyways. She's too energetic to be left alone and it could have caused an issue." Alisa answered as she smiled down at the kitten Pokémon. "Again, thank you for helping me."

Leonel and I watched our fellow classmate, but before Leonel could wade through the sea of students, I quickly grabbed his attention.

"I'm curious. During the incident, how come you didn't speak up first?"

"Hell if I know." He responded.

Gee, thanks.

Time seemed to drag on for the next few classes, but luckily for me, I was finally given a break. I took my place amongst the many tables and students within a very large open room. The aroma of various foods filled the air, with fresh meals drifting in from the far end of the area, and the smell of a hot, gooey cheese pizza in front of me.

Before I began eating, I shut my eyes to give my full brain a brief respite from the throbbing headache that accumulated over time. I succeeded in blocking out the bright over head lights, but the headache continued due to the sounds of overlapping conversations and the crunching noise of what sounded like sawdust being grinded in a small pile. I opened an eye over to one of the people I talk with during lunch and saw one of the guys crushing oyster crackers over a bowl filled with a white broth and chunks. From the amount of crackers the guy was mixing in it, that clam chowder appeared more as an expired paste now. With that in sight, I decided to begin eating before that brown and white agglomeration made me lose my appetite. As I munched on my pizza, I couldn't help but think about Lyra and the meal I prepared for her. Hopefully she was able to get have it without much of a hassle. I did leave it in an easy to open cooler that I left next to her. I opened my mouth for the next bite.

"Geez John, that's more disgusting than beer that's flatter than a little girl's chest!"

And there goes the rest of my appetite.

Turning to my right, I watched as Victor sat in the chair next to me while he stared at the bowl of former chowder with detest.

Our tablemate simply refuted as he snarfed a spoonful of his paste.

"Did you really have to say that?" I asked disgusted.

"It's true!"

I shuttered at my friend's correct response. It's probably best to change the subject before I vomit.

"So…how's Diancie?"

"She's fine, she didn't really want to be left alone, but understands why I had to do leave her today."

"Who's Diancie?" A buddy of ours asked.

"Vic's girlfriend." I answered. Sadly no one picked up my sarcasm.

"Don't worry about it guys. So what about you and Lyra? How's she?" My friend added.

"Who's Lyra?" Another tablemate questioned.

Victor answered practically the same thing I said about him and Diancie, but I think he intentionally avoided using sarcasm when he said it.

"Alan has a girlfriend? I find that hard to believe." John stated with a snarky smile.

I turned to him.

"John, shut up and eat your glue."

John stopped moving as he was about to take another spoonful of his chowder and held back a laugh.

"Lyra's fine. She's slowly recovering, but she's getting there." I continued. That was as far as that subject went, with Vic and I refusing to go any further about the actual identities of Diancie and Lyra with the others. We had our reasons.

After that, our conversations continued as normal until our break ended. Following that, Vic and I changed into lighter clothes and proceeded out onto the school's sport field with the rest of our lifetime sports class. I stood in the center of a diamond with a blue, hard plastic helmet on my head, a worn brown mitt on my left hand, and holding a softball in my right hand. The teacher stood permanent shortstop, Vic was our catcher, and other students had their positions. Not a single person on this field could be considered a major leaguer, but at least we were decent enough to get base hits. I brought my right appendage back, only to swing it forward while twisting my wrist. The batter didn't swing for he didn't have the chance, the field became silent, and everyone could see that white blur that sped between me and the other student. I took a hard gulp as I gazed into the bright blue eyes of the furry creature that held the softball in its mouth. It had the appearance of a badger, but I know it isn't one.

The class started backing up and huddling close to the teacher as we gazed at the wild linoone. Some stuttered in anxiety, a few pulled out there cell phones and started recording the Pokémon, and the rest stared in awe. If it wasn't for the cry of another linoone, none of us would have initially noticed the second Pokémon that was _somehow_ casually standing behind us.

My vision was suddenly blocked as I felt a sudden weight push me down to the ground with such velocity, leaving me with no time to react. After that, my ear drums were being ruptured by the girl on top of me, screaming like she was the victim in a horror movie. As the teen began to use my face as leverage to crawl away, the girl and I simultaneously grunted as I felt the weight on me increase when another classmate flopped over on top of us. It was in that moment when the corner of eye saw the fuzz ball speed over to the first linoone. If the circumstances were different, I probably would have made a joke about the position I'm in; one that would probably earn me a slap or a scolding.

As I begged the two students to get off of me, my ears picked up on the sound of a scuffle. Dragging myself half way out of the dog pile, I was given the chance to observe a Benny Hill style chase between the gym teacher and the two Pokémon. I couldn't help notice that while the teacher flopped around, the two linoones appeared more like they were playing a game of keep away since they would try not to let the other grasp the softball when they lost hold of it.

"Hey, over here!"

I recognized whose voice that was. Turning to Victor, I could see him holding an extra softball in the air. When he had the attention of the Pokémon, Vic started waving the ball, causing the linoones to sway their heads in motion with it. Following that, my friend then tossed the sphere away from the group, leaving the Pokémon to chase after it. After both creatures had a ball of their own, the two linoone quickly left just as they appeared.

"How did you know that would work?" One student asked Vic.

"Do you think they'll come back?" Another questioned.

"Will you two get off me already?" I declared to the two students still piled on top of me.

After being given freedom and being apologized to, I made my way onto my feet. I felt compelled to stare off into the direction the linoone fled to and compare that to the huddled mass of teenagers next to me. My classmates are treating Victor like a hero when all he did was throw a ball. If the Pokémon really wanted too, they could have seriously hurt anyone, but no, they simply stole two softballs and ran. No one got injured, and the only thing hurt was probably someone's pride. These people treated the incident like it was the end of the world; can't really blame them since supposed fictional entities now exist with us, but that doesn't really give enough reason that these creatures are our apocalypse. Pokémon haven't caused water to turn red and fire to rain from the skies, so why begin panicking like this? So far, no Pokémon has show absolute aggression towards any human. This isn't meant to be the era of irrational fear. In most forms of media about Pokémon, these creatures are like any normal animal minus the powers. The more I compare and contrast this, the more it hurts.

Just what caused Pokémon to appear? Aliens? Invisible space magic? Or were Pokémon already existing amongst us and we never knew? How long will it be before this chaos blows over?

The minutes were long, the discussions were boring, and my brain is full of knowledge. The final seconds clicked away and thus marked the end of school for today. With my bag hanging on my shoulder, I sped my way through the traffic of the school halls. The emotion in the air seemed more relaxed and intrigued then it did this morning. I caught a glimpse as to why the cautious fear had waned, and it's all thanks to the new Miss. Popular and her skitty being the center of attention. However, despite the large excited group, there remained a few transfixed as they stared terrified at the kitten Pokémon.

Just go over to it and let your fear dissolve already. Pet it if you must; Skitty is not the destroyer of hope.

I wasted no time to run home and check on my house guest. Upon entering my room, Lyra and I greeted each other as I proceeded to sit on my bed. From her expression and active tone of voice, she's probably been up for a while, plus it looks like Lyra was able to get into the cooler of food without any hassle.

I laid back into my mattress and sighed.

"Is everything alright?" Lyra's mental voice asked.

"It's just that it's been a long eventful day." I rubbed my eyes. "So what did you while I was gone?"

"Well I mostly relaxed myself, but what happened to you? You sound stressed." Lyra asked with an intrigued concern.

I recounted the entire school day to my Pokémon. "Lyra, when you first encountered a human, what was your initial reaction?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that I'm seeing people freak out when they see a Pokémon; there's more panic than enjoyment currently."

"I see, well, prior to meeting a human, I heard stories from my friends about what they were like, so I didn't know what to expect. Have you ever felt so nervous that your heart was going to explode? That's how I felt when I saw a human for the first time, but in the end, I was curious enough to see what would happen if I interacted with one. I ended up enjoying it in the long run. We played and there came a point when they even helped me, my brother, and our friends find a place to call home."

I compared the eon Pokémon's words to the incidents of today. They're almost the same. Just fear and curiosity of the unknown, but with Lyra, she got the time to get to know the humans. I wonder…

My thoughts were put on hold when I heard a low chirp from the Latias. I glanced over at the Pokémon and was both mildly surprised and glad to see Lyra was getting her strength back. Lyra was slow to float over from the futon couch and land next to me, and after she did, she used my stomach as a pillow while letting out a soft trill.

"Alan, if it's okay with you, can I come with you the next time you leave?" Lyra's words seemed nervous; almost sounding like there was a fear of rejection.

"Can I ask why?" I gently caressed her cheek.

"I…I don't like being alone."

I stopped myself for there was no easy answer. My mind ran through possible scenarios on what would happen depending on what choice I made. I came to one conclusion on my decision. It's more or less an idea, but the major problem is, is there going to be any backlash to my actions?


	5. Chapter 5 The Plan

**Chapter Five: The Plan**

The bags under my eyes were heavy, my body creaked with each movement, and my stomach was not fueled enough to get me through a full day. I turned over to my left to see my fellow companion using his hand to cover his wide open mouth as he finished a yawn. It was tempting to let one of my own out, but I refused to let myself tire out. If it wasn't for sheer force of will, I don't think I would be standing. To help keep myself from collapsing, I oscillated between two stone benches while constantly switching from checking the time to looking at the burning orange sky.

"Just be glad you're not part of any of the sports teams or the school band; they have to be ready here at this time on a day to day basis." Victor tiredly groaned as he leaned back on one of the stone seats. Immediately after, my friend used his book bag as a makeshift pillow on the bench. "You sure this is going to work?"

"Well this can go one of two ways, and hopefully we get the good one." I answered while fighting off another yawn.

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we improvise, and if that doesn't work, the four of us will run." I stopped for a moment to crouch down and pop my aching knees while I ran my fingers through my hair.

Diancie and Lyra should be back at Vic's house by now. Victor and I were lucky enough to be able to show the two the directions from my friend's home to here with no one spotting us. They know the time to meet us here, and the two locations aren't that difficult to get lost between in. Thanks to the Skitty incident yesterday, some of the tension has vanished, and if I can get this plan to work, then the rest should completely disappear if not most of it.

I simply closed my eyes for a moment, but when I opened them, I miraculously found myself sitting in my desk for first period. I made a quick glance at the clock on the wall, only to have a dissatisfied groan follow. Class hasn't even started.

"Well you seem antsy." A girl declared at me.

Turning to my right, my heavy eyes were met with the sky blue eyes of Alisa. After seeing her plop down in the empty seat next to me, I stated that I was exhausted from lack of sleep.

"Can you stay awake long enough to answer a question?" Alisa asked.

"I can't make that promise."

"Well anyways, I was wondering, how come you decided to defend Filia and me yesterday?"

I was confused as to whom Filia was at first, but I had a realization just who it was when I noticed Alisa's book bag wiggling. My classmate reached in it pulled out the exotic creature and casually held the Pokémon in her arms.

"I honestly don't know; probably just a spur of the moment." After saying that, I decided to scratch behind the Skitty's ear out of boredom.

"So you're not actually afraid of her?" Alisa quizzically questioned as she watched me pet her Pokémon.

"Not really, I kind of grew up with the franchise, plus I've already had an incident involving another Pokémon. You?"

"How can I be afraid of this cute face?" Alisa playfully lifted her Skitty in the air, causing the kitten Pokémon to gleefully meow. The immediate second after the teen did that, the room's door swung open with our teacher taking a few steps in before stopping to stare intensely at the alien creature. Moments afterwards, the man turned around and left the room, leaving a deadpan silence amongst the class from what everyone just witnessed. Someone eventually asked if class was canceled because of that.

Please don't come back.

Fortune smiled upon us students since the teacher abandoned us, giving everyone in _my_ first period a decent break to do whatever. However, that luck vanished once the second period bell rang. Once continuing my education and possibly passing out at one point, time began to drag along a long path, one that was a journey and struggle to remain awake until lunch.

My body hated me, my stomach furiously growled at me, and my exhausted focus dwindled as my left hand tightly grasped an apple that was the victim of a brutal stab from a plastic knife. My murderous display upon that poor fruit both disturbed and confused my fellow tablemates. Someone was about to say something, but the gesture of me dragging my plastic blade through the apple and then essentially ripping my victim in half shut the guy up. It wasn't until I grabbed another apple that someone finally said something.

"Dude, are you okay?"

"Never better!" I replied as I immediately jammed the knife in my next victim. Following that was a loud snap and me swearing at the cheap blade.

I growled as I soon added pressure to the stinging sensation that resided on the bottom of my right hand. With how my mental state was currently, I was about to curse that fruit and knife with all my frustration, but that was stopped by the hand of my closest friend reaching out and grabbing the apple I dropped. I stared at Victor as he simply inspected the fruit, only for him to pick a new apple when he noticed blood on it. After that, Vic grasped the fruit with both hands and dumbfounded everyone at the table as he ripped the thing in half.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys!?" Someone at a neighboring table questioned us with deep concern and curiosity.

"We're apple murderers." Vic quickly remarked. He then turned to me and told me he'll deal with the rest of the apples I bought.

After I fueled up enough to stay conscious and mentally sane, my friend and I stuffed our pockets with our victims. The sensation of apple juice seeping through the seams of my pants and rubbing onto my legs was…odd to say the least. It was even more awkward with gym shorts, but Victor and I had to carry on. The class proceeded as normal as everyone moved outside.

"Any sigh of them yet?" Vic questioned as we scanned the skies.

"Not yet. It's possible they're either late or lost." I stated. I honestly hope they're just running late. Sure Lyra's getting better, but what will happen if she can't find her way back home or to me? She still has some injuries that look pretty back, and if Lyra were to accidentally scare someone, they could get worse depending on how that person reacts. No; come on Alan, don't let those kind of thoughts form. Come on and hurry up, where are you two?

"Dude, relax. There's no need to worry." My buddy stated after sensation my trepidation.

He's right. I just have to take a few deep breaths and relax. Everything will be fine. They'll be here eventually.

"So what happens if they don't show?"

"…We hope Plan B shows." I stated in an annoyed tone.

Gym continued without any issue, and because of that, made me even more anxious. The sky is clear of clouds and the school building isn't that far from Victor's house, so why are Lyra and Diancie late? Class is almost over, and if they don't show, things may become more complicated. Please don't tell me something bad happened to them when they were on their way here.

The sudden screaming of bloody murder of a girl perked up my ears and gave me hope, but unfortunately to where she was pointing, didn't make me fully happy. At least Plan B was kind enough to show. I turned and looked.

Oh shit.

"Alan, the Linoone are right next to us!" My buddy nervously whispered as he gazed with caution.

"I can see that, Victor!" I quietly stated.

Neither of us have a softball; in fact, these Pokémon weren't even interested in any balls anyone had, but what we have in our pockets. I tried to remain calm that the Linoone are within reach and focused on me, but just seeing how sharp their claws actually are was making this more terrifying than it should be; especially since one of them is now standing on its hind legs glaring at me.

My movements were cautiously slow as I reached into my pocket for one of the apple halve, and the moment the Pokémon started to sniff my leg, I could feel my heart try to burst out of my chest. As long as I don't startle it, everything should be fine.

Sadly, luck would have it go poorly as softballs started whizzing past us and students shouting for the Linoone to chase after them and for us to run. This only made them aggressive. The situation was made worse when Victor got decked in the back of his shoulder and appeared like he was lunging at them. This action was met with the second Linoone diving head first into a strong tackle straight in Victor's gut; forcing him hard on the ground. Following that, the creature climbed on top of him with unknown intentions and a vicious look in its eye.

The very second I heard someone sprinting towards us, I turned to see my gym teacher charging at the Pokémon with a metal bat. I gestured my hand and shouted at him to stop, less he wishes to provoke the Linoone further. With that, I drew the attention of both Pokémon and their irritated gaze. I swallowed hard as a cold sweat formed.

Without warning, Victor let out a low whistle and somehow managed to stealthily pull out one of the apple bits we had. The Linoone on his chest jumped its head back from having the fruit near its face, but its startled look quickly disappeared as it leaned in to sniff the apple piece. Victor wore a stoic expression as he stared eye to eye with the creature, and even though he seemed calm, I could see how tense his body was. The Pokémon took the food with gentle delight and soon began to nibble on it. As the creature enjoyed its snack, my friend took the chance and slowly scratched the back of the Linoone's head. The moment the Pokémon let out a satisfied call, we let out a sigh of relief following with a smile as I moved closer.

"If you promise not to tear up my pants, I promise I'll give you some food too." I said as I knelt down to the first Linoone. The way it happily ate out of my hand kind of reminded me of a hungry dog.

A wave of confusion and curiosity swept over our class as they nervously approached us, while also questioning us of our actions. Neither Vic nor I said a word; instead we gave a few fellow students some apple bits so they too could feed the Pokémon. It took some coaxing, but those classmates finally approached the furry creatures. They were cautious at first, but when one of the girls begin giggling because of one of the Linoone licking apple juice off her fingers, everyone else began to relax.

"Aside from having softballs practically thrown at us, your plan worked out well." My friend declared as we watched everyone excitedly crowd around the Pokémon.

I couldn't help feel proud for myself, but shortly after, that smile I had began to fade. Where are Lyra and Diancie?

Before I could ponder any further, my thoughts were cut off by a girl repeatedly saying my name. Upon turning around an object zoomed at near high speeds right at me, only to immediately stop right in front of me. Even though I wasn't slammed into, I still wasn't expecting that sudden stop and fell back in disbelief. Once I had full realization of what it was, I didn't care; my worries were gone and my smile was back.

"What took you two?" I energetically asked.

The little princess that still stayed nervously locked around the Latias looked up at me and said, "Sorry, but we had to take a little break…and after that, we were a little lost since we couldn't fly to high to get our bearings."

Before I could say anything else, Lyra wrapped her arms around the back of my neck and then pulled me into a tight embrace. She then apologized if she made me worry, and again, before I could say a thing, my words were cut off by a grunt. This time it was my classmates, who were now all huddled back in befuddlement.

I nervously chuckled, and to show there was no sign of danger, I reached up and began to rub my Latias' head. Her soft cooing eased my fellow student body with her presence; Victor assisted further by helping Diancie down and casually talked to her.

"Just _what_ are those?" A confused student asked.

A sheepish grin grew bigger on me when the class instantly realized my true intentions. The group stared at me and our new arrivals in stunned silence.

"So then, are those creatures yours?" Someone finally asked.

I cleared my throat and gathered my composure. "Not exactly; I'm taking care of the Latias here, while Vic has the Diancie." After saying that, I gently scratched the back of Lyra's head; which inadvertently caused her to trill.

Upon seeing that reaction, the class grew more relaxed and approached us. Students asked us various questions about our Pokémon; I think I got the lesser end of the barrage. While I was asked about my meeting with Lyra and her injuries, people were far more surprised at the fact that Diancie was able to telepathically communicate with them. After the Q and A, everyone completely eased up and it became like an afternoon at a dog park. Some classmates would crowd around me, my friend, and our Pokémon, while the others would play with the Linoone. If this was the game or the anime, this would probably be just an everyday occurrence, but as of now it's still a foreign sight; an enjoyable one nonetheless.

"Hey Alan, thank you for letting me out to be with you today." Lyra said to me with a jubilant tone.

I smiled and petted her head again before saying, "No problem. Sorry you had to wait until now to actually be with me."

The eon Pokémon nuzzled my hand with affection before she grabbed it with her paws. "It's okay; beats being stiff in your room."

"Well, try not to stress out your body to much; I don't want you injuring yourself further."

When someone asked me why I was talking to myself, I tried to explain about the psychic link Lyra formed with me, but was interrupted by the school's intercoms requesting Victor and I to report to the Principal's office. Considering the fact that the announcement also asked us to bring our "guests", I knew why we're being called, and considering how the teacher stared at us with crossed arms, it was easy to tell who informed them. The gym coach ordered everyone else to head back inside and prepare for their next classes. After that, he acted as my friends' and I's escort.

The walk to the Principal couldn't be simply, could it? No. It felt like walking on death row, and I was filled with unease as more and more onlookers would appear. It started out as a classroom or two that had noticed us, and the commotion they caused acted as a flooding wave of curiosity for their neighboring classes. The air was soon filled with fear, confusion, and excitement as students and teachers would gawk at us, make various comments, and snap pictures of us with their phones. It was like this until we reached our destination.

This isn't how I wanted my plan to end. If I get punished for the commotion I'm causing by having my Pokémon here, how will my parents react? I can only pray that Principal Wells will be lenient or let us explain my intentions.

The Principal's office was a small room; being the size of a large storage space. Small little windows lay built around the entryway, while the only other window was centered on the back wall and looking out to the small town. In the back corners of the room sat two potted plants that were possibly just fake ones, while along the walls sat some metal bookshelves, filing cabinets, and hung wooden frames that contained various pictures and a diploma. In the center of the room sat a couple of chairs where us students would sit. I don't know if we're either brave or stupid enough, but everyone who brought a Pokémon to school was here. The one guy with the Swinub on his lap, the other guy with a Sandslash sitting next to him, and the one girl holding a female Nidoran, I haven't met yet, but the other girl in the room was Alisa and her Skitty. Across from them was a metal table with a wood top with a computer and various knickknacks laid about, and behind that desk, sat the Principal.

Principal Wells was a slightly rotund man in a light gray dress suit with a silver watch peeking out on his wrist. He is somewhere in his thirties, but despite being a middle aged man, he is clean shaven and already showing some gray in his dark hair; if it was from genetics or what is happening with the world remains questionable as to what the answer is. The Principal sat relaxed in a cozy looking chair as he stared at us with his hazel eyes with a nonchalant expression, waiting for Victor and I to take a seat. We did as he wanted, leaving Lyra to float behind me and Diancie to stand next to my friend. We weren't given the chance to talk before Mr. Wells began speaking.

"It feels like yesterday when I was just a simple teacher working my way up to the position I am in now. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months turned to years that I spent guiding students. I taught them the best I could and hope they could take the knowledge I've given them and use it for their futures. I hope the same for all of you when you graduate too. And as a principal, it is my duty to stay up to date with everything so I can help prepare you for when the time comes, but now I don't think that's possible. As you're all _obviously_ aware, Pokémon are now real. I wish I had an answer why, and I wish I knew how to deal with this, but I don't." He then took a moment to look at everyone and our Pokémon. "You however do. Each of you managed to obtain one of your own and brought it here for whatever reason. And in time, I feel like others will too, which is why I called you all here. I have a proposition for the six of you."


	6. Chapter 6 The First Day

**Chapter 6: The First Day**

I stood silently in front of a windowless wooden door gathering my thoughts for a moment. Despite choosing my answer yesterday, I guess a part of me is still uncertain of having this kind of role. I just simply wanted to prove that there wasn't really any need to be afraid. Nevertheless, I've agreed to Mr. Wells' deal. I'm allowed to have Lyra stay by my side during school and I have been allowed to drop a class while keeping the letter grade I currently had with it. In doing so, I have promised to assist in any situation that involves Pokémon. If any student were to have questions, they could find me and the other "trainers" in the room that I stand before. My mom wasn't too pleased to hear about the stunt I pulled, but that's beside the point. Both her and my dad were at least glad to hear that I was taking a positive initiative about the Pokémon situation here. Plus, I feel like Lyra is appreciative that she gets to be with me during school from now on instead of being alone at home.

The moment I felt my Latias lightly nudge my shoulder, I was brought back out of my mind and then turned to her inquisitively. Out of the corner of my vision, I could see a small group of confused students glaring at the two of us. Understanding the Pokémon's unease, I decided it was time to stop dwelling on my decision and continue forward.

The room that was to be our office was an old Teacher's Lounge that was roughly the size of a normal class room. I don't know what this room use to look like before, but as it stands now, in the far back right of the room we have our own refrigerator and vending machine which Victor and Diancie were examining. Following the right wall from that spot sat a line of tables with a blank cork board bolted above them, while sitting on the tables themselves were a telephone and coffee machine. Leo, the owner of the Swinub, and Jason, the handler for the Sandslash, fiddled with both machines to ensure that they worked. Following to my left sat a navy blue couch and reclining chair with a television hung on the left wall next to them. Sitting in the chair, Alisa held a relaxed demeanor as she petted her content Skitty. Continuing on from that wall was another table with an up to date computer that was currently in use by the Nidoran trainer, Gwen. And the final notable thing about this room, across from me stood a polished wooden table where the other Pokémon situated near, and beyond that laid a large window to the outside world being covered by beige curtains. This place wasn't as luxurious as the current Teacher's Lounge, but it still wasn't that bad with what we have. Since I had finally arrived, everyone stopped what they were doing, grabbed a chair, and sat in a circle.

The six of us and our Pokémon remained in an awkward silence as we remained unsure how to official start our first meeting. It was like this for a few minutes until someone suggested we do a short introduction of ourselves and our partners. Victor went first, followed by me, and then Alisa went.

"It was during that massive rainstorm when I met Filia. I was taking shelter under a nearby building when I was walking home that day and noticed I was sharing that spot with her. And being honest, I didn't really grow up with the Pokémon franchise in my life, so my little Skitty is my first connection with this life style." Alisa stated.

Gwen introduced herself next, and in my honest opinion, she will be the one to stick out the most between everyone here. This teen was dressed in worn blue jeans with tears around the knees and a small metal chain that went into her right pocket. She also wore a gray t-shirt with an old denim vest on top of it. And her somewhat short blonde hair with blue highlights drooped over her sky blue eyes with defined eye shadow on.

"So as you know, I'm Gwen. I'm a junior and I'm seventeen. Not much else to say about me. I haven't thought of a name for my Nidoran yet, and I found her in my mom's garden during the weekend."

After a pause, Jason decided to go next. There wasn't much to go on about his appearance that I could tell except that his casual clothes seemed neatly kept. It made me wonder if eventually that Sandslash of his may accidentally ruin his grass green button down and his tan dress pants. His dark curly hair lightly bounced as he gazed at everyone behind his glasses with his dark green eyes.

"I'm Jason; pleased to meet you. I'm sixteen years old and a sophomore. I haven't decided on nicknaming Sandslash, and I found him near where I live by the beach. I originally grew up with Pokémon, but kind of fell out of it. I guess this whole incident is what brought me back into liking Pokémon again; especially my buddy here."

With only one person left, everyone turned their attention to the student with the short brunette hair, walnut eyes, and wearing gray gym sweatpants with a matching zip up hoodie. His Swinub sat contently in his lap.

"Hey, I'm Leo, age eighteen. It was during the weekend at my part-time job where I found my Pokémon. And this little fella with the face of a champion is Poople Tank."

"Poople Tank?" I questioned in befuddlement.

The second Leo acknowledged it, Vic tried to cover up a few snickers he coughed up while the others gazed in disbelief. It took us a moment to recover, but once we did, the six of us resumed our little meeting the best we could. We then revealed what class period each of us dropped to be here. As it turns out, Victor had the room to himself for second period, Alisa and I will be working together during third period, Gwen and Jason are in charge immediately after us, and Leo finishes during the last class hour.

The silence return soon after as we contemplated on what to do next. Technically we have the whole day to ourselves to discuss on how we will handle any situation we're presented with. The unfortunate thing about this will be the constantly changing variable for said situations, and once tomorrow hits, we'll be left with having to solve any upcoming scenario with judgment calls without everyone's inputs. And until something happens, we'll be left waiting in a glorified study hall. I will have to say that on the bright side, we won't be hit with a full storm of questions from everyone due to the minority of people here that are ecstatic of Pokémon being real and them having an idea on how they would handle it.

A sudden knock on our door brought us out of our thought process and upon opening the entryway, discovered it was one of the school's teachers. After she stated that "the badger things were back," Victor and I knew we were the ones best suited for this issue. However despite that, everyone else decided to follow us.

As we leisurely made our way outside to the sports field, I turned to my friend and asked, "So, you think Mr. Barns remembers what to do for the Linoone so not to cause panic?"

"Probably, and even if he doesn't, he should at least know they're not really a threat now. Plus Mr. Wells said he's informed the faculty already if anything were to arise to allow us to handle it." My buddy replied.

"True that. Think we should grab some apples jus-"

The sudden blood curdling scream of a man interrupted me, and thus forced us to pick up our pace. Upon our arrival on the scene, we encountered a huddled mass of students that we had to make our way through. Passed that, I could clearly see some older guy I've never seen before wielding a metal bat and had his attention directed to the Pokémon. We were too late. One of the occurring Linoone is currently positioned itself in front of the unknown man with hate and anger in its eyes while growing viciously at him. The Pokémon's friend on the other hand is lying on the ground behind it unmoving.

"Who is that!? Where's Coach Barns!?" Victor quickly questioned.

"Mr. Barns is sick, so that's our sub for the day." A student responded.

After hearing that, I turned back to the wide-eyed man glaring at the Linoone. "Stop what you're doing and let us handle this!"

"Stand back, I got this! I'm not going to let anyone get hurt by these _things_!" After saying that, he glanced over in my direction, and when he did, the guy jumped back into even more of a cold sweat. "There's more of them!?"

I knew he was referring to Lyra and the others, but before I could say anything about that, my Latias directed my attention to the downed Linoone.

"Alan, it's still alive! You have to help it!" Lyra worriedly declared.

After my Latias stated that, I inspected the thing from my spot and could see it barely breathing. I then barked at the man and said, "Stop fighting! We've been given the authority for this kind of situation, so let us deal with it!" It became clear he wasn't going to listen to reason when he ignored what I said and took a swing at the Pokémon before him.

The still standing Linoone released an intimating cry and in the blink of an eye, lunged at the substitute with its knife like claws. The Pokémon's opponent panicked, but still reacted quick enough to take another swing at it. The creature recoiled for a second, but recovered fast enough to take another swipe at the sub. It got its mark this time, but it was only a knick in the guy's leg as he dodged. That Linoone immediately used its momentum in its landing to spin and then throw itself at its opponent with a head butt in the back of the sub as he tried to cover up the crimson stream leaking down his limb. In response to that, the guy twisted himself and elbowed the creature in its face during their fall to push it off. Following that, he then took another swing at the Linoone after getting back up and managed to parry the Pokémon's oncoming slash attack; sending the creature flying back a few feet in pain where it landed in preparation of another attack.

"Cut it out right now!"

After I shouted that, a cloudy gray sphere flew past me at high speed and exploded in between the skirmish; releasing a mist of the same color. I quickly turned to the source from where that orb possibly spawned from and was instantly greeted with the sight of Lyra materializing another one of those balls between her paws. My Latias threw the second sphere in the same location and created an even larger cover for her to work with as she proceeded on over to the fallen Linoone. Lyra hovered around the Pokémon and analyzed it the best she could before calling me over for assistance.

I was about to run over, but had noticed that enough of the mist had blown away with the wind for the active Linoone to become visible again. Upon noticing Lyra near its hurt friend, I could clearly see the aggressive look the creature held and angling itself to attack the Latias. I felt like at this point, time had slowed down for me as numerous thoughts ran through my brain.

What am I to do? How am I going to stop this?

I looked around for answers and was only met with uncertainty in my petrified companions. My attention soon came to Alisa, more importantly, what she held in her arms. A light bulb then turned on in my mind. I pray that this works.

"Filia, use Charm on that Linoone!"

Upon hearing my order, the little Skitty quickly wiggled its way out of her owner's grasp. She then immediately sprinted in the path of the charging Linoone and unleashed a happy and honestly adorable meow at the rushing Pokémon.

My heart stopped a little, but once I saw the Linoone stop in its tracks with a confused look now overtaking the anger in its eyes, I had a sigh of relief. The kitten Pokémon excitedly continued to meow at what I'm guessing it may have considered its new "friend," thus making the Linoone more complacent. Soon afterwards, the finally now calm Pokémon gradually made its way to its unconscious friend, only to nudge at it with constant worry.

Once the rest of Lyra's mist had completely dissipated, the substitute teacher was in my view stuttering with his weapon shaking in his hands.

"Look, things will be okay if you don't continue. Just relax and let us do our job." My words were soft and calm with hope.

The guy looked at me with his frighten eyes and then down at the bat in his hand. He then grasped his weapons with both hands as he continued to hyperventilate. His shaky eyes were then brought up to the Pokémon across from him.

"Don't do it!"

"I can't let these monsters live!" He shouted with his cracking voice as he went full charge at Lyra while swinging the bat back for his attack.

I didn't think this time, I just ran. I quickly forced my body to its limits and planted my feet hard into the earth with each kick until I got between the fool and my Pokémon. I heard Lyra then scream my name as I panted and stared at the metal that was a mere inch from my face. The pain burned up from my wrist and followed through the rest of my right arm that I used to shield myself, but I managed to take my focus off of it by pushing the guy back with the same limb. The shocked sub stumbled a few steps back as his words became incomprehensible, and despite still being absorbed in fear, he still had the bat gripped tightly in his hands. This guy still had _that_ look in his eyes while some worry also became mixed in, but before he could do anything else, Vic came rushing in like a blur and managed to use his momentum to quickly disarm the substitute and then immediately swung the bat in the back of the guy's knee; forcing him on the ground and finally ending this debacle.

Students had scrambled all around, the principal, school resource officer, and a few other teachers are all arguing with the substitute, a massive bruise mixed with deep red stained my flesh around the wrist I used to block, the Linoone still remains unconscious, but all that was just moments ago. As things are now, the students have been calmed down for questioning, the adults are still arguing with the sub while he was saying he was in the right despite numerous witnesses admitting he actually provoked and attacked first, my appendage has been bandaged up with a splint I managed to fix up, and I've finished examining and treating the injured Pokémon.

"How did you know Filia could stop the Linoone?" Alisa quizzically asked as she approached with her Skitty.

"Being honest, I didn't, but I'm glad I was right." I responded after finally having a moment to myself.

"Well, where did you learn to do all that?" Gwen asked while looking at my handy work.

"My dad's an EMT. Vic, can you take the Pokémon to our room?" I soon said.

Victor agreed to carry the creature back in the school, and as he did, he was escorted by Diancie and the other Linoone. After I watched them off, I simply plopped down on the ground and took a mental breather. As I relaxed, Lyra approached me with a very anxious demeanor. The Latias sat next to me with disheartened eyes and hesitant paws as she gave her focus to my wrapped up limb.

"How…how is your hand?" Lyra's words were soft with concern.

I responded with in a gentle tone to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal, "I can't really move it and some fingers. I think the joint might be broken, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Alan, why? Why did you take the hit for us?"

The rational part of me already knew that if I didn't step in when I did, that foolish guy most likely wouldn't have stopped attacking Lyra or the other Pokémon, but there was another, stronger reason why I jumped in when I did.

"I didn't want to see you get further hurt; you're my friend." I looked up at my partner, but wasn't pleased with the sight I saw. "Come here, some of your blood is seeping through your bandages."

I spent some more time out on the field as I exchanged my Pokémon's gauze and wrapping for fresh ones. While I did that, I had also done a physical examination to be sure which of her injuries no longer needed to treated.

Today wasn't supposed to end like this. Nothing bad was meant to happen and my role as the school's Pokémon advisor wasn't supposed to be this stressful. I guess it was just wishful thinking that everything would be pleasant all the time.

The second I finished redressing Lyra, she gradually rested her head on my chest and remained silent. Seeing that, I slowly caressed the back of her head ended up eventually just laying on the ground with her as I did my best to make her feel better. I was asked a few times if I was alright and I replied that we just needed a moment, which we were given.

Moments later, the other students were directed back inside first and soon afterwards, the adults followed. My fellow companions stayed a bit longer with me, but they too returned to our given room. As my Pokémon and I relaxed, I couldn't really appreciate this time spent with her. If today's incident never happened and didn't leave us in a spoiled mood, I would have genuinely enjoyed this.

As time flew by, Victor and Diancie returned with the latter being more worried. Both of them asked how we were doing and I ended up responding that we could be better. My buddy really didn't want to if he could, but unfortunately he had to escort me out of my moment and back inside. We would have had the whole field to ourselves, but sadly, that'll have to happen some other time.

It took a bit of coercing from both Diancie and I, but we managed to somewhat cheer Lyra enough to let me stand up. As we made our way back, I soon realized something, I feel like we're being watched by someone.


	7. Chapter 7 Aftermath

**Chapter 7: Aftermath**

It was a new day; the sky was shinning, the animals and some noticeable Pokémon were out and about, and tensions didn't seem as high when I entered the school for some reason. Today will either be boring or interesting; I just wish I could possibly enjoy it. Instead, my heart is filled with worry and my thoughts are in the back of my mind searching for answers on what to do. Unfortunately every time I glance over to the Latias that I've befriended and see the melancholy in her eyes, my questions grow and more concern fills me.

I know I did the right thing yesterday, but I still just wish I could have done more for the Linoone. I just wish that Lyra wouldn't blame herself for the outcome. She knows her kind is alien to my world, and she should know to expect various reactions to her presence, so why can't accept the fact I sacrificed my hand for her sake. I know it's not an ideal thing to deal with, but it was still my decision.

I can feel Lyra's heavy gaze on the cast that covered my wrist and because of that, I felt the feeling inside of me worsen.

School hasn't officially started yet, so because of that, the front entrance along with the center area of the building is filled with a massive ocean of waiting students until the halls are opened to unleash the flood to their lockers. Luckily thanks to the role I've been given, I'm allowed to pass through and avoid traffic just so I can enter my given room. Considering how Lyra is feeling, it probably is best she isn't in a crowd right now.

Upon entering the Pokémon Advisor's Lounge, I could see that Lyra and I weren't alone since that Victor and Diancie seemed to have made themselves cozy on the couch while watching some television. As we entered, Lyra seemed to have positioned herself away in a corner while I dropped my stuff near the coffee machine and grabbed the recently brewed pot. It only took a single sip for me to realize it was actually tea instead, and upon seeing who the other drinker was I decided not to complain. After that, I offered a cup to the eon Pokémon and sat it near her in case she did end up deciding to try it and then I took my own to the couch.

"How is your wrist feeling?" Diancie asked as she set her cup of tea aside.

"It's okay, but I'm probably going to have to wear this bothersome cast for a month or so." I responded before stopping my friend from possibly making a dirty joke. After that I soon realized something was missing. "What happened to the Linoone? Where are they?"

"The zoo in the next town over felt confident enough to take it in to try and treat it. So when the Pokémon was being transported, his friend went with them." Vic answered. "By the way, you do realize you're famous now, don't you?"

I was somewhat confused, but I had an idea as to why. Being honest, it kind of disturbed me at first because of how fast the news had spread, but that slightly died down when my friend directed my attention to the television.

"Yeah, but this is just the morning school news. How many students can you actually say watch it?"

"True, but just wait until midday for when this report gets repeated. And plus just wait until this gets printed in the school paper."

"And then I'm boned." I sighed as I tried to fend off an oncoming headache.

Diancie then looked up to me and inquisitively asked, "Why would that be a problem?"

"Because most likely at that point, an actual news station would have caught wind and start bugging him for an interview." The Pokémon's owner answered.

"Who recorded this?" I questioned as I watched the incident get replayed.

Before I could get an answer, a depressed groan emanated from the corner of the room. The three of us turned to the source and watched Lyra lower her head in shame. Once Vic saw that, he turned to me and mouthed the words, "Is she still bummed out about yesterday?" I quietly nodded and then immediately got up to approach my Pokémon.

Without saying a word, I pulled Lyra into a gentle hug. I could tell it caught her off guard just from the way she quickly jumped, but she soon accepted the gesture. However, after backing away from each other, the Latias then turned her downcast eyes away once she saw my wrist again as that minor appreciation faded away.

"It really _isn't_ a big deal, so please, stop blaming yourself."

"It's still my fault. You got hurt on my behalf." Lyra stated with her disconsolate voice.

"Lyra, when I took you in, I made it my duty to care of you. That even means protecting you from harm."

"Not only that, he was also protecting the Linoone; you should be proud for him instead. Plus, Alan _is_ a tough guy." Vic added.

The eon Pokémon accepted those words and I could clearly see her processing that in her mind, but I could still see the depression in her eyes. I let out a small sigh then took a few steps back from my Pokémon. I then raised my injured appendage as high up as I could and with full force, slammed it down into the nearby table. This caused Victor and Diancie to stumble up off the couch in shock while Lyra just stared at me with her dinner plate sized eyes filled with horror.

I looked deep into the Latias' eyes and simply said, "See?" with a smile.

Before anything could be said, the bell signaling that students were now allowed to their lockers chimed. After taking our attention away from the noise, all eyes were back on me as I waited for a response.

"O-okay…B-but if it's okay with you, I would like to stay in here. That way I'm not a burden during your classes." Lyra stumbled.

I was conflicted. I didn't want to really leave Lyra alone as she was, but it would allow her the time to mentally accept the situation. However, once I overheard Diancie state to my buddy that she would like to stay as well, I was grateful for her cause. I grabbed my bag and as I was leaving, I gave the little princess a physical signal to show I was thanking her; her response was a soft smile with a nod.

The very moment the door closed, I instantly grabbed my wrist and started hissing and arched forward over my suffering limb.

"Dude, are you alright!?" My concerned friend asked.

"Never let me do that to any injury again!" I quickly heaved.

"Sure, man." Vic said with a quick nod as he started to head to his locker.

"Before you go. Yesterday, did you happen to see anyone else on the field before we went inside?"

"No, why?" Vic held confused eyes.

"No reason then. See you later."

I sat in my first period desk in pain and momentary regret as I questioned the day's possible contents. No one bothered to, but I could feel the presence of their overwhelming desire to ask me about yesterday. I paid no mind to it and gave an uncaring expression until a certain duo approached me and asked how I was feeling. I gave Alisa a more truthful answer.

"I see; well I hope it gets better. So where is your Pokémon?" Alisa wondered as she scratched the ears of her purse Skitty.

"She's back in the Advisor Room with Victor's Diancie. Lyra's still upset about yesterday, so it's probably for the best."

"You did what you could, and that's more then what anyone else did."

"Yeah…I know." It probably could have ended differently and possible better if anyone just acted earlier.

"Can I ask you something really quick?"

"Shoot."

"Just to change the subject, how come you chose to drop your third period class?"

"Well for one, I have first lunch, so I can practically beat the rush in line and also have an extended lunch period. And two, my Back Stage Theater Tech teacher is a bitch."

Alisa gave a dumbfounded expression to my comment and added, "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, but all I do know is that she absolutely hates my guts. But now I don't have to be bothered by that horrid person anymore."

Before anything else could be said, our teacher had entered the room. Once his eyes settled on Filia, he asked Alisa if her Pokémon was going to cause an issue. Alisa eased his trepidation, and when he asked me to confirm her words, I lied. I already know the Skitty is going to be a distraction; question is, how much?

Surprisingly enough, class went on as normal, or only for the teacher I should say. I could tell that while we were supposed to be taking notes, most of the class had their eyes on Alisa's Pokémon. Plus, interestingly enough, Alisa managed to keep the little kitten Pokémon content and calm by constantly petting it the entire time. My second class on the other hand pretty much turned into a Q and A for me that even that class' teacher took part in. Time flew as I did my best to answer everything thrown at me, but it was now my turn to sit and wait in the Advisor Room.

I arrived with Alisa and by that time, it seems that Victor and Diancie haven't quite left yet. From what I could tell, it seems that the two of them have been further attempting to help cheer up my Latias from how they were positioned next to her. Once they noticed us, Vic grabbed his stuff and patted my shoulder before leaving.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed Lyra approach Alisa and place one of her paws on her. Once I saw Alisa experience a migraine, I knew what was happening.

"If you were in Alan's place yesterday, what would you have done?" Lyra asked my companion.

Alisa seemed utterly confused as she surveyed the room with her wondering eyes until she realized where the origin of that question spawned from. The girl jumped back a bit and stated in her astonished voice, "You can talk like Diancie!? How!?"

After I explained the concept of Lyra using psychic links to telepathically communicate with us and how she has already formed one with Vic and I, Alisa seemed to understand it within the next minute. Following that, my classmate went on to answer my Pokémon's question.

"Well if I were to be honest, I probably would have done the same thing."

I could see that the statement did help a little, and from what I can tell, Victor and Diancie did also managed to get some shine back in Lyra. However, I can still tell there is a bit of forlorn left in the eon Pokémon's eyes. Seeing that, I took in a big inhale and gave a heavy exhale.

"Alisa, what I'm about to do stays between us."

After saying that, I stepped up to the Latias and looked in her golden eyes. Following that, I carefully grabbed her sides and pulled Lyra close, where I then placed my lips above the blue triangle on her chest and blew the biggest raspberry I could. My Pokémon stammered in response as her cheeks became bright rosy. My action even got the girl behind me to comment.

"A-Alan!?...Wh-wh-why did you do that!?"

"Because you're still depressed, and I don't know what else to do to cheer you up!" I replied while trying to keep a hold on my embarrassment.

Lyra's next couple of words where in such powerful stutters, that she eventually gave up trying to say what she wanted to. Instead, she looked away in her blush.

Shortly after, I glanced at Alisa with my beet red face.

"I thought that was sweet." She said with a coy smile.

"Let's just get ready for lunch…"

I couldn't attempt to distract myself as I waited, and from what I could tell, Lyra wanted to as well, but unlike me, she still held a flustered expression. Alisa on the other hand managed to keep herself busy by doing some homework; all the while her Filia exhausted herself by excitedly chasing her puffy tail. It remained quiet like this until I decided to head for the lunch room early. As I left, Alisa had decided to join me after packing her things, and fortunately, Lyra followed along too.

So students of Saint Dawn, how will you react today? Will you crowd around like we're your favorite celebrity? Will you avoid us like the plague? Or will there be mass hysteria and insanity? I for one would wish for a simple lunch without really being bothered, but I know that won't be possible for some time.

We were lucky to avoid having to wait in the line and with that, Alisa and I went our separate ways. Today I found myself choosing the school provided lunch instead of any of the sponsored vendors, and as I grabbed my food and sides, I couldn't help but feel a certain Pokémon's hungry eyes peering over my shoulder. I found it slightly amusing, but I didn't feel the need to visually torment her for long. After asking if Lyra has ever had a baked potato, I went ahead and prepared her a plate the same way I had mine. It wasn't much; just a standard baked potato with some broccoli and melted cheese on top, but after I finished preparing her meal, I proceeded on to pay for it. It was here where the expected responses began. The cashier was decent at hiding her distress, but it wasn't good enough since I could still see the shock in her eyes. I then took my spot at one of the empty tables as students gradually began entering the room, and the second I heard someone cuss, I had a feeling of what kind of lunch I was in for.

Time could not go any slower than it felt. Fortunately for me, I wasn't going to be alone in this field of curious and uncertain eyes. Alisa soon joined me at my table, and a couple of minutes after that, Vic and Diancie had entered the lunch room. I know because of what we're doing, the three of us will no doubt receive awkward stares, but it's not like we've killed anyone. These peering eyes are only making me wish that Poké Balls were already manufactured.

"Holy crap, it is true." A male voice announced while getting closer.

I looked up to see who it was and with a nonchalant chuckle, I replied, "Yeah, it's true."

"So you must be Lyra. What do you think about Alan having the…you know?" One of my table buddies directed himself to Alisa; leaving the two of us confused at first.

"Actually, this is Lyra." I directed everyone's attention to the Latias that was nibbling carefree on her lunch.

"Oh that is just wrong..." John stated.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"So then who are you?" Another tablemate chimed in.

I could feel some of the red returning to my cheeks as my fellow advisor introduced herself, but hopefully her presence and the sudden appearance of my friend and his Pokémon were able to help mask it. That hope disappeared and I felt embarrassed by my peers as I swallowed my pride when it was discovered that Lyra had been a bit of a messy eater; leaving me to help clean cheese off her soon rosy cheeks. My friends chuckled, but overall I got to say I'm impressed with them for actually being cool with mine and my companions' Pokémon. Unlike the other students here with their glaring eyes, these guys managed to relax pretty quickly. Though I can think of plenty of reasons why if they were being genuine.

Once lunch ended, I was glad to enter an even more stable environment with far less judging eyes. I waited in the gym with my other lifetime sports classmates, who most were filled with jittery glee as they happily gave attention to the Latias and Diancie. As that happened, Mr. Barns approached me and said that he heard of the incident yesterday and that he was proud for what I did. After that, he ended up informing the students that the topic for class was now bowling. It was a quick walking trip to a nearby bowling alley, but it was here that I felt probably the most awkward for the day as it seemed no one had informed this place that two students were bringing Pokémon with them. I watched in astonishment as this college-age cashier exclaim, "Holy shit!" panicked, and fearfully crashed his way into a back office.

"S-Sir? W-we…We just want to get our shoes. I promise we won't be a problem…Sir?" I peeked over the counter and into the room the guy fled to. A minute later, I was greeted to a middle aged woman who was surveying the situation.

After saying that Vic and I, along with our companions, should leave for the sake of her employee's and other customers' sanity, our gym teacher stepped in to defend us. I watched and listen with amazement as these two people were able to have a levelheaded argument, but after a while, my friends and I were told to wait outside as the coach and manager had a negotiation.

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to get you two in trouble." Diancie anxiously fiddled the end of her dress with her head held low.

"There's no need to apologize since we're not really in trouble." Vic replied as he gave his Pokémon a reassuring smile.

"So then what's going to happen to us?" Lyra chirped.

I leaned against the wall and tried to make myself as comfortable as possible before responding.

"Both sides are at an impasse since the teacher can't just let us skip an entire section of this class and this place stands to lose some decent income if the class stops returning, so my guess is that until a price is settled, we're just simply waiting." After saying that and hoping we wouldn't have to pay extra cash, I turned to my friend. "So, were you expecting this kind of da-"

I don't know how or why, but I could feel the same presence from yesterday eavesdropping on us. I can't tell exactly where this person is, but from what I can tell is that they are very close.

As I was about to glance around the corner of the building, a sudden tap on my shoulder prevented me from continuing. From only seeing my cautious expression and action, Victor knew what was happening as he was looking dead center in my eyes while he hushed our Pokémon and gestured me to step aside. He then took my spot on the wall and pulled his phone out soon after. I nervously and quietly watched as Vic angled the device before he turned it on and messed around with some of his apps he had installed. A moment afterwards, my friend finally turned his phone back off and from the stern face he wore as he gazed at the blank screen, I knew Vic found the guy.

My buddy made some silent gestures at his phone, then at me, and then finally himself. I would have felt safer if he included Diancie and Lyra in this someway, but Victor probably left them out for their own sake or for the sake of the delicate relationship that is forming between our world and these foreign creatures. Whatever his reason was, I took my position and watched as Vic slunk along the brick wall and around to the back. I waited patiently as I could feel my heart beat faster and faster, feeling like it could bust out of my chest at any moment now. Shortly after, the low vibrations of my phone triggered me, causing me to shoot around the corner and sprint as fast as I could to the position. The very second I saw something blur away from the edge of the bowling alley and towards the back, I felt like we had this person caught. Unfortunately the moment I rounded the corner to the back of the building, across from me at the other end of the structure stood Victor as he stared back in confusion. We stared at each other as I questioned where the person disappeared to.

For a brief second in the corner of our eyes, we saw the ends of a figure in blue speed off on top the roof of the bowling alley. I stared dumbfounded towards the roof as I questioned how the person managed to climb up the wall that was twice our height and as fast as he did without the use of anything to boost the guy. As I was about to say something, my friend rocketed passed me and lunged himself at the wall. Instantly after that, Vic used his momentum and kicked himself upwards where he managed to get two more steps in and then quickly latched himself on the roof. Shortly after that, he moved out of my vision roughly when Lyra and Diancie appeared near me. As the girls anxiously stared at me, I called out to our friend a few minutes later, only for him to return alone.

"Is this what you referring to earlier today? About anyone else being on the field yesterday?"

"Yeah, did you happen to get a good look at them?" I asked.

"No. I don't even know where the guy even disappeared to." Victor responded.

"Alan, what's going on?" Lyra jumped in with a concerned tone while all I could do was stare at her.

I don't know.


End file.
